Industrial Waste Water Pre-Treatment

If you wish to discharge wastewater into the sewerage system, you need ACTEW approval.

You may be required to pre-treat your waste water and to comply with other standards and conditions related to cleaning and maintaining equipment and record keeping.

• Check if you need or already have a trade waste agreement with ACTEW and what conditions apply.

• If relevant, establish a maintenance and servicing schedule for your Triple Interceptor Trap, Vertical Gravity Separator, Coalescing Plate Separator or other type of oil/water separator. Failure to clean and service these on a regular basis may lead to a system failure and a costly pollution incident.

• Keep substances, such as radiator coolant, parts washer fluids, brake fluid and solvent, separate from wastewater. These substances are not removed by oil/water separators and can poison sewer, septic or stormwater systems. They can also be hazardous if mixed with other liquid waste being collected. Check with your waste contractor to see if they can be mixed safely with waste oil or if they can arrange a separate collection.

• Use biodegradable, ‘quick break' degreasers and detergents to ensure that they do not interfere with the operation of your oil/water separator.

• Regularly clean out grated drains and silt interceptors by appropriately trained staff. If your car wash or degreasing area is not fitted with a silt trap, consider driving the vehicle to a properly equipped car wash for underbody cleaning or heavily soiled vehicles.

• Prevent rainwater from entering the sewerage system by covering work areas (including wash bays), using bunds and ensuring that rainwater downpipes are connected to stormwater and not to the sewer.

Click here to download an Environmental Guidance Note on Quick Break Cleaning Agents